A DECADE OF INSPIRATION...Our alumni are not only television’s future, but after ten years, a...

A DECADE OF INSPIRATION

WGA Showrunner Training Program

10 YEARS OF EDUCATION

AND INSPIRATION

Message From Peter Roth

For 10 years, the Writers Guild Showrunner Training Program — with the support of the Alliance of Motion

Picture and Television Producers — has provided an extraordinary opportunity to WGA members, a course that

should be required attendance for anyone with any intention of helming a television series.

The innovative six-week program provides prospective showrunners with the most important fundamentals of

how to lead and successfully shepherd a series. Writers are counseled on the importance of the subtler elements

of the job, including network and studio relationships; the value of fiscal responsibility; and the strength of

true leadership — how to inspire, galvanize and utilize the best talents of their teams. Utilizing experienced,

thoughtful, veteran showrunners and guest speakers to share insights, anecdotes and workshops, this forum has

proven to be critically important for writers to learn, participate, grow and succeed.

And for proof of the program’s efficacy, you need look no further than the fact that more than 60 new series

have been created or co-created by alumni of the Showrunner Training Program. From my perspective, having

spent 41 years working as an executive in television, I am convinced that it’s the best, most comprehensive, most

important program available to showrunners in the business. The benefits of this program — for writers as well

as for those of us on the network and studio side — are immeasurable.

It is therefore my great pleasure to congratulate the Writers Guild of America and everyone involved in the

Showrunner Training Program on a highly successful first 10 years and to wish you continued great good luck as

you embark on your second decade of training the future showrunners of our industry.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Peter Roth

President and Chief Content Officer

Warner Bros. Television Group

Message From Jeff Melvoin

When I first approached WGA West President John Wells with the idea of a Show Runner Training Program, I

sensed there was a hunger for it, but had no idea the response would be so overwhelming.

Ten years later, the enthusiasm and need have only grown — and they’re related. The ongoing upheaval in the

television industry has dramatically intensified the demand for show runners, creating a turbulent environment

that thrusts an increasing number of writers into show-running responsibilities without benefit of much, if any,

on-the-job apprenticeship.

When the SRTP began, my expectation was that all applicants would have at least some staff experience. That

changed when we admitted Matt Nix, the creator of Burn Notice, in our second year. He was a key contributor,

and the subsequent success of his series was no surprise. I joked that henceforth we would reserve “the Matt Nix

chair” for an outstanding candidate who had never set foot in a writers room before.

Today, that’s become “the Matt Nix string section,” as more and more candidates apply with a paucity of

television experience, but a corresponding wealth of diversity in background, creativity, and potential.

As the business continues to evolve, so will the SRTP. To a point – because the most important things the

program has to offer are precisely those qualities and skills that don’t change with the times, but remain vital to

successfully running any series in any context.

Balancing the old and the new is a challenge I didn’t expect ten years ago, but view today as one of the great

benefits of the program personally. It certainly keeps me on my toes.

But my chief pleasure has been the opportunity to get to know the many veteran show runners and other

industry professionals who have generously given their time to instruct and, most especially, the 280 remarkable

writers who have been our class members thus far.

Our alumni are not only television’s future, but after ten years, a growing part of its present. Their professional

achievements speak for themselves, but it is the intangibles – their leadership, character, and collegiality – that

make me equally proud. Working with them has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And the

good news is, there’s another class coming this year. I can’t wait.

Message From Yvette Bowser

For the past decade it has been my extreme honor to collaborate with Jeff Melvoin and Carole Kirschner to

establish and refine the WGA Showrunner Training Program. Its strength lies not only in the time and experiences

shared by accomplished mentors and guest speakers, but also in the talented and dedicated participants who

enroll and contribute to the program each year.

When I was invited to participate in developing the curriculum for the SRTP, I was flattered and concerned. How

could we impart, in six weeks time, what took so many writer-producers years to learn? How might we boil

everything down to a format we could succinctly and clearly pass on to future show runners? How exactly would

we teach the art of managing art? It sounded like an incredible challenge… and a little crazy. But somehow, with

effort from a dedicated committee, and lots of healthy debate, we managed to pull things together for the first

session and continued polishing from there. Much like the process from story breaking to shooting script, the

program has been a work in progress, constantly evolving and improving to suit the times and the needs of the

industry and future show runners.

Our main goal has always been to demystify the TV series management process and help better define the

nebulous role of show runner. As a team, we’ve succeeded in providing clearer focus on demands, expectations

and skills required of such an all-encompassing, and creative, leadership position. Many of the program’s

graduates now thrive as chief architects and decision-makers of highly regarded series. SRTP participants are

now sought after by studios and networks, as their talents have been further augmented by the credentials of

this esteemed program.

From the beginning the networks and studios have collectively agreed to financially support this specific

curriculum, designed to remove some of the guesswork from the process and replace it with the best tutelage

and methodologies our industry has to offer. The net gain is found in increased management, monetary

efficiencies and expanded career growth.

As we eagerly anticipate the 11th year of the program, I look forward to new faces, new ideas, new horror

stories, and helping my peers reach their goals. Here’s to many more years of engaged show runner training and

entertaining, skillfully-executed television.

Message From Carole Kirschner

In 2005 WGA West Executive Director John McLean approached me to assist Jeff Melvoin as Jeff was initially

developing the curriculum for the Show Runner Training Program. I was intrigued. There had never been such a

Program and we were starting from scratch. But we knew that if we got it right we would be providing invaluable

and timely assistance; not just to writer-producers but to the companies as well.

From the success of our alumni over the first decade, as well as the continuing enthusiastic response from the

community, it feels like we’re getting it right so far.

It has been my honor to be the Director of the Showrunner Training Program from its inception and to work with

so many generous and talented television professionals. From Jeff and Yvette to MC Foley for the past 7 years

and Sharline Liu before that, to all the guest speakers and every alumni, it has been a pleasure to help manage

and shepherd the Show Runner Training Program.

Here’s to the next ten years!

Carole Kirschner

Courtney Kemp Agboh

Mara Brock Akil

JoAnn Alfano

Josh Appelbaum

Meredith Averill

Neal Baer

Tim Bagley

Alan Ball

Carol Barbee

Paris Barclay

Lynn Barrie

Kenya Barris

Janine Sherman Barrois

Kevin Bassinson

Sam Baum

Carter Bays

Ben Benedetti

Greg Berlanti

Maggie Blanc

Steven Bochco

Rob Bowman

Yvette Lee Bowser

Shane Brennan

Bob Broder

Sterling Brown

Casey Brown

Andy Cadiff

Steve Callaghan

Stephen J. Cannell

Chris Cantwell

Jill Cargerman

Robert Carlock

Jennifer Cecil

Ilene Chaiken

Adam Chase

Joey Chavez

Jon Chibnal

Leo Chu

Aron Coleite

Ryan Condal

Matt Corman

Carter Covington

Liz Craft

Carlton Cuse

10 YEARS OF GUEST SPEAKERS

We thank every television professional who gave their time to contribute to the SRTP

Collin Daniel

Greg Daniels

Steve Dayan

Liz Dean

Russell Denove

Kevin Dowling

James Duff

Ed Duffy

Jim Dunn

David Eick

Diane English

Jason Ensler

Sam Ernst

Steve Faber

Sarah Fain

Stephen Falk

Kevin Falls

Ann Farriday

Felicia Fasano

Michele Fazekas

Kenneth Fink

Caitlin Foito

Duke Foster

Michael Fresco

Eric Friedman

Josh Friedman

Eric Garcia

Greg Garcia

Joe Gayton

Tony Gayton

Glenn Geller

R. Scott Gemmill

Vince Gilligan

Gary Glasberg

Lesli Linka Glatter

Michael Gleason

Neil Goldman

Jessica Goldstein

Howard Gordon

Maria Grasso

Brett Greenstein

Jonathan Groff

Stephanie Groves

Barbara Hall

Emily Halpern

Doug Hannah

Hart Hanson

Chris Harris

Arthur Harris

Sarah Haskins

Eileen Heisler

Dave Hemingson

Abraham Higginbotham

Andy Hill

Timothy Hillman

Alicia Hirsch

Michael Hoggan

David Holden

Adam Horowitz

Ellen Huang

David Hudgins

Jamila Hunter

Albert Ibbotson

Laura Innes

Lauren Iungerich

Jennifer Johnson

Dan Kaplow

Emily Kapnek

Jason Katims

Gloria Calderon Kellett

Brad Kern

Todd Kessler

Chris Keyser

Michael Patrick King

Cleo King

Justin Kirk

Alan Kirschenbaum

Jay Kleckner

Aaron Klemanski

Alexis Koczara

Jenji Kohan

Aaron Korsh

Ted Kotcheff

Lindsey Kraft

Andrew Kreisberg

Elizabeth Kruger

John Landgraf

Bill Lawrence

Janet Leahy

Andrew Leeds

Paul Leiberstein

Carol Leifer

Gregory Lemkin

Steve Levitan

Adele Lim

Warren Littlefield

Stacy Littlejohn

Kari Lizer

Rob Long

Claudia Lonow

Rob Lotterstein

Heather MacGillvray

Steve Maeda

Greg Malins

Joe Manganiello

Linda Mathious

Ian Maxtone-Graham

Glen Mazzara

Rob McElhenney

Tawnia McKiernan

Laverne McKinnon

Brian McNamara

Julie McNamara

Jeff Melvoin

Carol Mendelsohn

Liz Meriwether

Erica Messer

Adam Milch

David Miller

Nancy Miller

Rina Mimoun

Vahan Moosekian

Charles Murray

DJ Nash

Jan Nash

Andre Nemec

Matt Nix

Ross Novie

Marti Noxon

Lynda Obst

Peter O’Fallon

Ken Olin

Chris Ord

Ed Ornelas

James Parriott

Iain Paterson

David Paymer

Brian Peterson

Quan Phung

Chrissy Pietrosh

Nancy Pimental

Rose Catherine Pinkney

CCH Pounder

Scott Powell

Dawn Prestwich

Ben Queen

Tal Rabinowitz

Mark Reisman

Shonda Rhimes

Chris Rogers

John Rogers

Phil Rosenthal

Peter Roth

Elisa Roth

Russell Rothberg

Mike Royce

Joe Russo

Anthony Russo

Shawn Ryan

Ajay Sahgal

Danielle Sanchez-Witzel

Ken Sanzel

Stephanie Savage

Robin Schiff

Thomas Schlamme

Mike Schur

Mike Scully

Bryan Seabury

Jed Seidel

Dave Semel

Deran Serafian

Naren Shankar

Craig Shapiro

Richard Shepard

Greer Shephard

Chris Sheridan

Christine Shevchenko

David Shore

Sidney Sidell

Craig Siebels

Kenny Smith

Kelly Souders

Tom Spezialy

David Stapf

Jon Steinberg

Hank Steinberg

Reed Steiner

Veena Sud

Craig Sweeny

Janet Tamaro

Geoff Tarson

Nina Tassler

Christian Taylor

John Terlesky

Craig Thomas

Sarah Timberman

Peter Tolan

Tim Tommasino

Kriss Turner

Blair Underwood

Nadine Velazquez

Tom Verica

Patric M. Verrone

Veronique Vowell

Greg Walker

Rick Wallace

Linda Wallem

Morgan Wandell

Matt Warburton

Ben Watkins

Lizzy Weiss

Brett Weitz

John Wells

Clancy Collins White

John Wirth

Danny Woodburn

Jamie Wooten

Tom Wright

Rob Wright

Nicole Yorkin

Constance Zimmer

Jeff Melvoin

John Wells

Yvette Lee Bowser

John Wirth

Nicole Yorkin

Dawn Prestwich

Marc Sandman (ABC/Touchstone)

Harry Issacs (CBS)

Jeff Melvoin, Chair

Yvette Lee Bowser, Vice Chair

Carole Kirschner, Director

Ann Widdifield, WGAW Consultant

Lise Anderson, WGAW Assistant Executive Director

MC Foley, WGAW Showrunner Training Program

& TV Digital Media Coordinator

Sharline Liu, WGAW Events Specialist

2005 SHOWRUNNER TRAINING PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE

SHOWRUNNER TRAINING PROGRAM COMMITTEE AND STAFF

SHOWRUNNER CLASS 2006Photos by Leroy Hamilton

SHOWRUNNER CLASS 2006

Greg Ball

Steve Blackman

Patricia Breen

Jordan Budde

Brian Burns

Sarah Goldfinger

Nick Holly

Adam Horowitz

Ted Humphrey

Darlene Hunt

Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Susan Nirah Jaffee

Eddy Kitsis

Sheila Lawrence

Glen Mazzara

Bryan Moore

Charles Murray

Chris Peterson

Michael Reisz

Bragi Schut

John Stephens

Veena Sud

Craig Sweeny

Carla Waddles


Jordana Arkin

Janae Bakken


Sam Baum

Debora Cahn

Steve Callaghan

Jerry Collins

Elizabeth Craft

Sarah Fain

Adam E. Fierro

Ilana Bar-Din Giannini

Jennifer Glickman

Chris Harris

Jennifer Johnson

Erin Maher

Matt Nix

Laurie Parres

Brian Peterson

Kay Reindl

Scott Rosenbaum

Ajay Sahgal


Ken Sanzel

Todd Slavkin

Kelly Souders

Darren Swimmer

Kriss Turner

Wendy West



Alfredo Barrios

Zoanne Clack

Paul Corrigan

Jim Dunn

Sam Ernst

Nick Falacci

Mark Goffman

Denitria Harris-Lawrence

Julie Hebert

Cheryl Heuton


John Hoberg


Kat Likkel

Don McGill

Henry Alonso Myers

DJ Nash

Jan Oxenberg

Michael Oates Palmer

Stacy Rukeyser

Joe Sachs

Jon Steinberg

Janet Tamaro

Sharon Lee Watson

David Wilcox

Brad Walsh

Alice Wu



SHOWRUNNER CLASS 2009Photos by Michael Jones

Dave Andron

Amy Berg

Steven Binder

Alexander Cary

Andy Dettmann

Dan Fesman

Chad Fiveash

Liz Friedman

John Frink

Karin Gist

Sara Goodman

Sylvia Green

Joy Gregory

Taylor Hamra

John Hlavin

David Hudgins

Luisa Leschin

Adele Lim

Turi Meyer

Ally Musika

Angela Russo

Joshua Safran

Al Septien

James Stoteraux

Christy Stratton

Virgil Williams

Bird York



Jonathan Abrahams

Sally Bradford

Jill Cargerman

Chris Collins

Matt Corman

Chris Ord

Adam Giaudrone

Jessica Goldstein

Peter Gould

Holly Henderson

Don Whitehead

Davey Holmes

Andre Jacquemetton

Maria Jacquemetton

David Lampson

Andrew Leeds

Amanda Lasher

Scott Marder

George Mastras

Bryan Oh

Chrissy Pietrosh

Rob Rosell

Ron Rappaport

Far Shariat

Ben Watkins

Sarah Watson

Alexander Woo



Jane Anderson

Veronica Becker

Adam Belanoff

April Blair

Max Burnett

Leo Chu

Cindy Caponera

Jennifer Cecil

Maisha Closson

Sarah Cunningham

Fred Einesman

Stephen Falk

Suzie V Freeman

Eric Garcia

Joe Gayton

Tony Gayton

Kyle Harimoto

Darin Henry

Steven Kane

Aaron Korsh

Sarah Kucserka

Gary Lennon

Kam Miller

Erik Oleson

Joe Pokaski

Michael Perry

Bert Royal

Craig Shapiro

Elizabeth Kruger

Salvatore Stabile

Michael Sussman

Melinda Hsu Taylor

Raelle Tucker

Stephnie Weir

Gren Wells

Rob Wright



Photos by Michael Jones

Courtney Kemp Agboh

Michael Alaimo

Semi Chellas

Cheo Hodari Coker

Carter Covington

David Digilio

Brent Fletcher

Eric Friedman

Karl Gajdusek

Scott Gimple

David Holden

Chris Hollier

Michael Horowitz

Scott King

Steve Lightfoot

Jonathan Lisco

Dean Lopata

Ashley Miller

Margaret Nagle

John Norris

Kamran Pasha

Nancy M. Pimental

Sean Reycraft

Sanjay Shah

Reed Steiner

Zack Stentz

Dahvi Waller

Matt Ward

Alan Yang


Meredith Averill

Julia Cho

Aron Coleite

Duppy Demetrius

Evan Dunsky

Owen Ellickson

Ayanna Floyd

Etan Frankel

Drew Z. Greenberg

Emily Halpern

Sarah Haskins

Joe Henderson

Jason Horwitch

Jenny Lee

Alison McDonald

Adam Milch

Daniel Petrie Jr.

Scott Prendergast

Rashad Raisani

Corey Reed

Pamela Ribon

Paul Ruehl

Peter Saji

Teri Schaffer

Jon Sherman

Esta Spalding

Raynelle Swilling



Mark A. Altman

Kenya Barris

Bradley Bell

Duncan Birmingham

Sheila Callaghan

Christopher Cantwell

Andrew Chambliss

Pat Charles

Ryan Condal

Ben Epstein

Jim “Danger” Gray

Aaron Helbing

Todd Helbing

Felicia Henderson

Tod Himmel

Dave Kalstein

Steve Kriozere

Antonia March

Colleen McGuinness

Jacqueline McKinley

Christopher Murphey

Michael Narducci

Robert Port

Ben Queen

Marco Ramirez

Christopher Rogers

Tad Safran

Jessica Sharzer

Josh Silverstein

Christian Taylor

Bridget Tyler

Roger Wolfson

Sam Wolfson



Tina Albanese

Nick Antosca

Peter Blake

Christine Boylan

Alison Brown

Devin Bunje

Jonathan Butler

Nkechi Okoro Carroll

May Chan

Adrian A. Cruz

Karen DiConcetto

Craig Engler

Jason Gann

Gabriel Garza

Mauricio Katz

Patrick Labyorteaux

Rick Muirragui

Jessica O’Toole

Ryan Oxford

Amy Rardin

Scott Reynolds

Kathleen Robertson

Dailyn Rodriguez

Seth Zvi Rosenfeld

Deb Schoeneman

David Schulner

Emily Silver

Malcolm Spellman

Nick Stanton

Joe Wilson


Jonathan Abrahams

Courtney Kemp Agboh

Michael Alaimo

Tina Albanese

Mark A. Altman

Jane Anderson

Dave Andron

Nick Antosca

Jordana Arkin

Meredith Averill

Janae Bakken

Greg Ball

Alfredo Barrios

Kenya Barris


Sam Baum

Veronica Becker

Adam Belanoff

Bradley Bell

Amy Berg

Steven Binder

Duncan Birmingham

Steve Blackman

April Blair

Peter Blake

Christine Boylan

Sally Bradford

Patricia Breen

Alison Brown

Jordan Budde

Devin Bunje

Max Burnett

Brian Burns

Jonathan Butler

Debora Cahn

Sheila Callaghan

Steve Callaghan

Christopher Cantwell

Cindy Caponera

Jill Cargerman

Nkechi Okoro Carroll

Alexander Cary

Jennifer Cecil

Andrew Chambliss

May Chan

Pat Charles

Semi Chellas

Julia Cho

SHOWRUNNER TRAINING PROGRAM ALUMNI

Leo Chu

Zoanne Clack

Maisha Closson

Aron Coleite

Chris Collins

Jerry Collins

Ryan Condal

Matt Corman

Paul Corrigan

Carter Covington

Elizabeth Craft

Adrian A. Cruz

Sarah Cunningham

Duppy Demetrius

Andy Dettmann

Karen DiConcetto

David DiGilio

Jim Dunn

Evan Dunsky

Fred Einesman

Owen Ellickson

Craig Engler

Ben Epstein

Sam Ernst

Sarah Fain

Nick Falacci

Stephen Falk

Dan Fesman

Adam E. Fierro

Chad Fiveash

Brent Fletcher

Ayanna Floyd

Etan Frankel

Suzie V. Freeman

Eric Friedman

Liz Friedman

John Frink

Karl Gajdusek

Jason Gann

Eric Garcia

Gabriel Garza

Joe Gayton

Tony Gayton

Ilana Bar-Din Giannini

Adam Giaudrone

Scott Gimple

Karin Gist

Jennifer Glickman

Mark Goffman

Sarah Goldfinger

Jessica Goldstein

Sara Goodman

Peter Gould

Jim “Danger” Gray

Sylvia Green

Drew Z. Greenberg

Joy Gregory

Emily Halpern

Taylor Hamra

Kyle Harimoto

Chris Harris

Denitria Harris-Lawrence

Sarah Haskins

Julie Hebert

Aaron Helbing

Todd Helbing

Felicia Henderson

Joe Henderson

Holly Henderson

Darin Henry

Cheryl Heuton


Tod Himmel

John Hlavin

John Hoberg

Cheo Hodark Coker

David Holden

Chris Hollier

Nick Holly

Davey Holmes

Michael Horowitz

Adam Horowitz

Jason Horwitch

David Hudgins

Ted Humphrey

Darlene Hunt

Andre Jacquemetton

Maria Jacquemetton

Susan Nirah Jaffee

Jennifer Johnson

Dave Kalstein

Steven Kane

Mauricio Katz


Scott King

Eddy Kitsis

Aaron Korsh

Steve Kriozere

Elizabeth Kruger

Sarah Kucserka

Patrick Labyorteaux

Lori Lakin Hutcherson

David Lampson

Amanda Lasher

Sheila Lawrence

Jenny Lee

Andrew Leeds

Gary Lennon

Luisa Leschin

Steve Lightfood

Kat Likkel

Adele Lim

Jonathan Lisco

Dean Lopata

Erin Maher

Antonia March

Scott Marder

George Mastras

Glen Mazzara

Alison McDonald

Don McGill

Colleen McGuinness

Jacqueline McKinley

Turi Meyer

Adam Milch

Kam Miller

Ashley Miller

Bryan Moore

Rick Muirragui

Christopher Murphey

Charles Murray

Ally Musika

Henry Alonso Myers

Margaret Nagle

Michael Narducci

DJ Nash

Matt Nix

John Norris

Bryan Oh

Erik Oleson

Chris Ord

Jessica O’Toole

Jan Oxenberg

Ryan Oxford

Michael Oates Palmer

Laurie Parres

Kamran Pasha

Michael Perry

Brian Peterson

Chris Peterson

Daniel Petrie Jr.

Chrissy Pietrosh

Nancy M. Pimental

Joe Pokaski

Robert Port

Scott Prendergast

Ben Queen

Rashad Raisani

Marco Ramirez

Ron Rappaport

Amy Rardin

Corey Reed

Kay Reindl

Michael Reisz

Sean Reycraft

Scott Reynolds

Pamela Ribon

Kathleen Robertson

Dailyn Rodriguez

Christopher Rogers

Rob Rosell

Scott Rosenbaum

Seth Zvi Rosenfeld

Bert Royal

Paul Ruehl

Stacy Rukeyser

Angela Russo

Joe Sachs

Tad Safran

Joshua Safran

Ajay Sahgal

Peter Saji


Ken Sanzel

Teri Schaffer

Deb Schoeneman

David Schulner

Bragi Schut

Al Septien

Sanjay Shah

Craig Shapiro

Far Shariat

Jessica Sharzer

Jon Sherman

Emily Silver

Josh Silverstein

Todd Slavkin

Kelly Souders

Esta Spalding

Malcolm Spellman

Salvatore Stabile

Nick Stanton

Jon Steinberg

Reed Steiner

Zack Stentz

John Stephens

James Stoteraux

Christy Stratton

Veena Sud

Michael Sussman

Craig Sweeny

Raynelle Swilling

Darren Swimmer

Janet Tamaro

Christian Taylor

Melinda Hsu Taylor

Raelle Tucker

Kriss Turner

Bridget Tyler

Carla Waddles

Dahvi Waller

Brad Walsh

Matt Ward

Ben Watkins

Sarah Watson

Sharon Lee Watson

Stephnie Weir

Gren Wells

Wendy West

Don Whitehead

David Wilcox

Virgil Williams

Joe Wilson

Sam Wolfson

Roger Wolfson

Alexander Woo

Rob Wright

Alice Wu

Alan Yang

Bird York

A DECADE OF INSPIRATION...Our alumni are not only television’s future, but after ten years, a...

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Transcript of A DECADE OF INSPIRATION...Our alumni are not only television’s future, but after ten years, a...